Tag Archives: SpaceX

“I believe we are on the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration.”–Elon Musk

Yeah, well, ol’ Elon would say that. His SpaceX venture is heavily invested and involved, both with NASA and other space faring concerns, and is somewhere between trying to colonize Mars long term and actually turning a profit, near term. But in the final analysis, what they seem to be locked into is a race with Boeing to launch the first commercial manned space vehicle, and thus get back to where NASA was over 50 years ago.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“For the wise man looks into space and knows there is no limited dimensions.”–Lao Tzu

After decades of glacial progress, the space age is about to re-accelerate. And the big players are not just NASA and the Russian space agency. Space Commerce–private enterprise–is set to lead the way.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“Amazon is definitely serious about delivering its goods by an autonomous air force.”–Steven Levy

Autonomous cars. Self-navigating boats. Self-flying drones. Ah, if only there was a self-writing blog; I would sleep in more often. The vehicles of the future are all over the news this week. Let’s catch up.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

—MIT, ever in the forefront of just about everything and anything autonomous and robotic, has a new invention. It’s a 3-D printed autonomous boat. The hope is it might help clear up urban road congestion. No mention yet of urban waterway congestion, though.

“Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”–Albert Schweitzer

Ah memory. How fleeting and ephemeral–as well as inaccurate–it can be. Apparently, now, it can be transferred or even implanted falsely. Westworld may be closer than we think.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“A space station is a rangy monstrosity, a giant erector set built by a madman.”–Mary Roach

Oh, how jaded we’ve become. Remember Skylab? When it became the first orbiting space station to crash back to earth, away back in 1979, it provoked a wide range of bizarre cultural outcroppings, from Skylab crash parties to insurance against it landing on your head. This time? Not so much. If the cable news channels can’t politicize it, they won’t give it much mention.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail.”–Elon Musk

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”–Alan Kay

Technology was everywhere in 2017. And everywhere technology went, Elon Musk was sure to lead. Perhaps we should paraphrase Alan Kay. The best way to predict the future, is to watch Elon. If anybody is inventing it, it’s him. Tesla, Solar City, SpaceX, Neuralink, Hyperloop. If it involved renewable energy, autonomous vehicles, space commerce, transhumanism, or warnings about artificial intelligence (lot’s of warnings), it probably involved Elon.

With that, I name Elon Musk, in total, our first Future Story of The Year, for 2017. Here’s a very brief history of his year, along with some of the other top stories from 2017.

While you’re reading about it all, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes or PlayerFM, and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

So…how many new technology ventures will he create in 2018, as he continues to invent the future? I’d put the over/under at 2 1/2.

Other top stories of the Year.

Artificial intelligence, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, self-driving cars, Bitcoin and blockchain, reversing aging and the future of work, were all frequently in the news in 2017. Somewhat less visible were stories about laboratory grown meat, reversing aging, hypersonic weapons, 3D printing and advanced drone technology. Here are few top story lists from other sources.

“The pace of progress on Mars depends upon the pace of progress of SpaceX.”–Elon Musk

Who will get there first?

Oh really, Elon? It seems that Boeing may have something to say about that. We got to the moon because of a frantic race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, propelled by the cold war. If an when we get to Mars, it just might be because of a frantic race between commercial ventures, fueled by the almighty dollar.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes or PlayerFM, and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Artificial Intelligence–The IEEE released the second edition of its global treatise on ethics of autonomous and intelligent systems, today. The report can be requested for download here. The report was mentioned in Seeking Delphi™ podcast episode #17, featuring an interview with the initiative’s executive director, John C. Havens. (YouTube video link below).